Mila was born in Alabama and spent part of her childhood and educational years in the Netherlands (namely the brugklas in Limburg and a semester at Leiden University). Her parents divided time raising their family between America and the Netherlands which allowed most of her summers and family vacations to take place in the Achterhoek.

She was one of ten students in the state to be accepted into medical school while she was still in high school and went on to finish her undergraduate studies a year early at the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a degree in International Relations. After medical school, she completed her ophthalmology residency at the internationally renowned Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. She completed a corneal surgical fellowship the year afterwards.

After training, she moved to Southern California and started her clinical practice where she met her husband (also an ophthalmologist). They married in Velp and currently live in Minneapolis. Currently, they have three children ages five and under.
Outside of family and work life, she is involved in international ophthalmology and global health. Namely, she currently serves on the board of Adventist International Eye Surgery in Madagascar, as well as the Mary Heersink Institute of Global Health.

Passionate about environmental preservation, she also serves on the board of the Edina Mill Pond Association, which is associated with one of the largest and most heavily utilized watersheds in Minnesota.